Tools and the Tone with Steve Vai - GearFest 2019

More videos like this livestream from GearFest 2019 👉 • GearFest 2019
If you weren't able to attend GearFest, tap into our KZbin playlist at the link above for recorded livestreams and other highlights!
#Sweetwater #GearFest #SteveVai

[@FlankinspanK]

I was there. My first time seeing him and I cried during For the Love of God. I knew going in that I needed to hear that…then I did. Like WOW.

[@zunk4435]

same.

[@user-hk7hz9cn7v]

One thing about Steve is you always recognize his playing immediately. It’s unique and signature! It’s his voice, his thoughts, his feelings and his emotions. He’s my absolute favorite guitar player and always has been

[@haxx7128]

God can he play. There’s something in how cleanly he executes every note and yet never loses expression.

[@KrannakenTV]

Makes so much sense. When Steve says that the tone is in your mind. I am a guitarist and a keyboard player and "the tone is in your mind" is so true of both instruments.

[@electroKrunch]

Vai has been a hero to me since the 80's. Saw him a few times in smaller venues where I could be right up to the stage. IMNTBHO, he has mastered the electric guitar from wood to strings.....

[@brucechavez9535]

That's why I admire and respect this guy a lot. He always talks with knowledge and wisdom and inspiration.

[@j_freed]

7:00 the *'tone starts in your head'* idea is so true, every time I played a melody and riff into a recorder and it sounded exactly like it was in my head, then & every time listening it back, each of those times I kind of pre-imagined it. So. *My BODY did the work of making the SOUND come out right!!* What an insight...

[@hanten10]

Because it is Steve Vai I watched the full 52 minutes with no skip 😂

[@HighOnYouDroneBoy]

hahahah me too bro!

[@StevenSiroVai1]

Thank you

[@deepenwadhwa4027]

@@StevenSiroVai1 Mr. Vai, is that really you?

[@langsfordmusicltd283]

@@deepenwadhwa4027 no...its one of the many, many Steve Vai's that chose to comment here..lol...Im guessing its him.

[@deepenwadhwa4027]

@@langsfordmusicltd283 yeah, that was actually kinda stupid of me, I agree..... And the internet goes wild! Haha

[@cferrarini]

Such a sweet guy... His DNA is really in his work, nothing beats authenticity and love put in the tone swirl...

[@alenac7269]

Thank you Sweetwater! Mr Vai is on the highest pedestal in my mind and heart -his playing/music is just so beautiful! :-)

[@cesarurbani2294]

Always, always you can lear something from Steve Vai. Such an inspiration to all musicians.

[@lukekern7444]

Some of the greatest moments of my life.

[@Hoefnerman]

He´s not only playing For the love of god, he´s living it!

[@kol3raofficialmusic313]

I am most inspired by his talk and philosophy. He is a legend.

[@MusikeXavier]

An unrivaled performer and a true philosopher of music!

[@abxyz9346]

I've always enjoyed listening to him play live more. Go figure! Incredible talent.

[@TheEleventeen]

Wonderful interview ! Incredible performance ! Thank you Sweetwater for posting this video here.

[@sweetwater]

🤘

[@TheEleventeen]

Sweetwater 🤘🏻

[@MemoriesRR]

Thank you Sweettwater and Steve Vai

[@KentBDouglas92]

Thanks for the fix guys, I needed that!!!

[@Superjet113]

I love listening to him talk.. It's always very interesting every time!

[@BlackenedEclipse]

Vai , thanks for being such an inspiration

[@elpfanjahrling4668]

I Saw Steve the 1st time With Zappa .... Hands Down My Favorite Guitarists ...

[@gfrozin]

That's some really deep guitar wisdom right there. This guy is just incredible.

[@AlbertoMartinezDelRio]

Thanks for this.

[@mohamedhabib8982]

Steve is inspiration to all guitarists , 07:10 to 07:35 is really strong thanks Steve you are Big

[@Dejoblue]

The best tone he has had since using Bogners in the 90s :)

[@jnh73]

It's close to his Legacy tone but has a little extra zip to it, for sure. I dig it.

[@MusicByDamienA]

Dejoblue he actually exclusively used Carvins and Marshalls for a long time

[@tel5690]

Love his story on Tone....🙏🙏🙏....Frank Zappa was the man... I could listen to Mr Vai all day his knowledge is so deep and passionate

[@matthughesrocks]

Great video and interview! I own a Vai Legacy 3 amp because I wanted something different and it's killer. Steve's new Synergy sounds bad ass too!

[@serenemachine9110]

Steve is the coolest nerd there is lol. Good job to the band by the way especially for the unrehearsed version of For the Love of God. The keys really added a nice flavor to the song. Thumbs up to you guys!

[@rockinvegan1765]

So interesting listen to Steve. Learned a lot form this interview. And the interviewer is great. Good questions and listens. Good job!

[@thomasconrad2630]

That drummer!!!!! great foundation to ride the guitar wave on.......well done! bass and keys also!

[@The_Anuj]

Nick D'Virgilio's a beast! :)

[@dugjay]

All Hail Steve Vai and oh by the way, Nick killed it on the drums. Great sound all around!

[@eddiejr540]

WOW....to be sitting 3ft away watching Steve Via...damn....that would be awesome!!!!

[@legoharry100]

Such a great player

[@hollywoodactress]

Great interview!!!! Steve Vai is always so informative, his stories and jokes are great. Especially the DNA vai jem and maybe that guy cloned in the future can get his music on the radio 🙌🏻

[@electroKrunch]

I remember a brief moment in the 80's when the guitarist of Rock Island, Dom (I don't remember is full name) came to me, telling me Yngwie said he needed to slow down & find some soul. I was shocked, as a struggling nobody in the LA circuit, he came to. It turned out Dom was from wealth, never worried a thing. That contrasted my life where I earned every dime I had. We joined for a while. He played so fast Yngwie said slow down. I did little guitar work with Dom. We talked mostly about life outside his millionaire lifestyle & understanding life kinda sucks for some folks.... In 3 weeks Dom understood the blues. It ain't nothing but good folks hittin' bad times... I wish I knew where Dom is today!

[@goodboysambath]

Steve vai ♥️

[@ducamuk]

Mad respect for Jedi Vai. 🙏

[@jaeremjacoba]

Watching from Philippines!!

[@hawg427]

The man has kept Carvin in Business for years.

[@rb032682]

RIP, Carvin. Do you think Carvin will become collectors' items, or just a sidebar in the history of gear?

[@hawg427]

@@rb032682 Collectors items not worth much more than paid for.

[@fedboy21]

Yeaaah the Jem split coil tone r the best strat tone. Love it 👍👍👍

[@jorgemlcosta]

Position 4 in a JEM 1990 gets you into P&W “Sisters” tone immediately. Love it!

[@mr.gradencrowley]

Love those session musicians

[@s3xinv3gas]

Love!

[@kearonandrewobrien7460]

Tone is established in certain volumes of sustain like a Voilyn, lm a tone seaker Modules of authentic sounds, Tube design, play in the mix. Steve your excellent teacher So much too strive for, Guitar builders especially

[@shorerocks]

Steve Vai is just one of a kind.

[@bf2err]

So are you Sven

[@Tesolamente]

the master for ever

[@OppoOppo-mq4cl]

Love vai he the best

[@JustFiddler]

15:07..... thank you sir ..... greeting from bali island

[@jillybabesno1]

That was Fricken awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man that ending waz epic I love him he's like what Jesus would look like with a guitar we always see the Devil with a mad get up, Steves kits pretty monstrous aswell! Super love his stories too wud love to interview u Steve a real fan who would ask u normal question that normal Steve loving people would ask doesn't always have to be about guitar and ur career but what gets u going what do u watch on TV do u even own a TV u knw normal everyday crap..

[@awiwiripapiri9337]

Grandioso el STEVE VAI pero que buenos músicos también le acompañaron.

[@luckylicks3497]

28:40 .. only a few got that; 37:45 .. that was pure Vai right there; 43:38 .. only getting better

[@SKARKIBANEZ]

Good job Nick ;)

[@ivorharden]

Those Synergy amps do sound good.

[@einarabelc5]

Wait? Generation X record coming out in future tense in June for a Sep video.

[@fguimara]

He refers to Eddie by Edward showing respect and little intimacy, taking into account his position as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. By the way, he shows respect for everyone else. Bravo Steve! You have my respect and admiration.

[@dpedrosoliano]

damn anyone else watch this with headphones. sounds as if i was there hearing steve play ! & stephen king ripping that bass lines and Steve giving props to monitors guy 43:09 and said "what's his name" interview " i dont know" cracked me up and Steve's Tone here.. uff

[@JohnWilliams-gp6ec]

How are you guys just sitting there during that jam??? We'd have been right up to the stage back in the late 80's.

[@Knightmare-gz9ls]

Still a fan of his carvin amps and the tone that he got out of them. Big reason why I grabbed a V3 stack.

[@bwgti]

Is he playing something different now?

[@Knightmare-gz9ls]

@@bwgti he spoke of synergy amps in a really recent interview since carvin shut down. Looked like they were trying to get the business back up and running but guess not.

[@davidkornblatt991]

Does anyone remember the RANDAL analog modeling where you could have the preamp of any famous amp over history and plug it into power amp?

[@JRP3music]

Yes that was the Randall MTS system. Developed by Egnater. Synergy has taken over and improved the modules. 2 channels, majority of modules are made by the actual manufacturer.

[@JRP3music]

Look up reviews and you can find out the awesome benefits to Synergy adding channels to any amp with a serial fx loop. So, you can add a clean preamp to an amp that lacks a super clean tone. Hot rod a Fender Deluxe adding high gain that will turn heads. There is something for every type of player. Use an amp you got add to it without losing your fx loop. Build a rack setup, or use the head versions.

[@ooferrell]

@@JRP3music yeah. they are pretty exoensive but i rather have a couple of those than deal with the complexity of an axe effect.

[@tubesoupio]

"I don't know. I never looked."...Yngwie gold LOL

[@ruipera]

Monster guitarist.

[@joefox9765]

You're too good Steve

[@MemoM76]

Wow Wonderful !!! For The Love Of God is my favourite song…….

[@j_freed]

Call It Sleep is my favorite... you probably never heard of it.

[@nickx1754]

Vai has contributed so much through music and innovation. Is it really going too far to call him a genius? As if that wasn't enough, he also seems like a wonderful person.

[@cyanidejunkie]

Shoutout to Carl Bleke from Sweetwater for getting a boogie MkV 25 and 2/12 Rectifier cab to me! That’s the tone in my head.

[@encryptor6710]

Carl is also a phenomenal drummer and all around great guy!

[@DIYivan04]

Day gigs are rough, but this crowd gets an F.

[@bf2err]

@Whip Lash get back under the bridge troll before you hurt yourself...again.

[@JustFiddler]

I'm not guitaris.... but it's really help me...... thanks for the video

[@stilllife4u]

I was there

[@toxicwaltz69]

How the hell could anyone leave while Vai is playing? I absolutely love his dissonant style, and the way he strays off key, if only for a moment.

[@j_freed]

You almost wouldn't know it but this 'Stephen Vai' fellow can shred if he wants to.

[@anatoly_trifonov]

I liked his early sound better. So raw, alive and sparkling.

[@bf2err]

Alien love secrets hmmm

[@darkclaw8959]

I saw an interview where he said people submitted songs to him, but how? His website forum is down

[@JbfMusicGuitar]

That's one impressive backline- is it wrong that I really want to hear a mix with all those amps on?!?

[@olafvanrijnsbergen1177]

You'd run into phase issues. So that wouldn't work

[@bwgti]

Olaf van Rijnsbergen Kill.Joy.

[@vhcxhbvg]

@@olafvanrijnsbergen1177 what are the downsides of the phasing? I thought some people like having their sound "out of phase"

[@stbreal]

Brett Tickell pickups can give a cool thin out of phase sound, but amps out of phase sound like just that “thin”.

[@BAMozzy69]

Such a great musician and person!!! As a musician though, he does cross that line between inspirational and off-putting. What I mean by that is that he inspires people to learn, to want to be as good as him but can also make people give up because they believe they can never reach this level - that's also testament to his genius....

[@JeremiahAlphonsus]

Once one rejects the myth of equality, his virtuosity is easy to accept. One then understands that greatness is for the few, not the many. Hence one then doesn’t fall prey to despair, and then simply cultivates one’s talents to the fullest extent possible, knowing that this extent is most likely to fall short of greatness. And that’s okay. Greatness, by its very nature, is for the few.

[@BAMozzy69]

@@JeremiahAlphonsus I cannot deny the truth you speak but there is a difference between knowing the truth and feeling inadequate by the genius of others. For some, that genius inspires and whether they attain equality or at the very least greatness in their own style or contentment in the reality of their own ability, its still been an inspiration. Others though may feel inadequate, put off by their own lack of ability maybe made worse by their own physical ability (like an injury or some other reason that their body is limiting their musical growth). Its not just in music, not just in the learning to play an instrument. There are many examples where someone can inspire another to push themselves to achieve something whilst in others, that has an opposite effect or highlights their flaws more. Even with the support of friends/family, they cannot overcome their own feelings whether they are justified or just in their head. Knowing is not always the same as actually feeling/believing

[@erpaloinen]

BAM Mözzi He is great. It doesn't take anything away from your potential to be great. No need to feel inadequate. Once you hit a certain level, you start to understand how specialized these guys are. Vai is excellent in playing Vai, and that might create an illusion that he's great at everything. Which of course he's not, no one is.

[@bf2err]

@@erpaloinen well said

[@metalmouth13]

Preamp clean/dirty, lead tone Gemini pedal boosting the dirty channel?

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

That's a very common thing with distortion and solo guitar, just to give the guitar a little push in parts you want to pronounce more.

[@PetraKann]

Supremely quick and technical, and yet melody and expression is retained. How the hell does he do that? As speed increases and the gap between the notes decreases and what usually vanishes or becomes distorted is melody. I can only think of one other guitarist who can consistently achieve this, and that's John McLaughlin.

[@nobnobnobnob]

Steve Vai is one of the best Guitarist the world has ever had, but I know a person who explains the mechanics of picking better. Check out Troy Grady.

[@cuauhtemocmorisco3493]

This is a Guitar God giving his sermon on the mountain of the greats to his disciples 😂😂😂

[@christopherisabell1661]

Steve is my shit. I would have been standing. Whats wrong wit the people. Steve the man hell yes.

[@eduardomorales3264]

What's the name of the first song he plays in the video?

[@electroKrunch]

Vai... Floating trem (actually physics) for simple musical enjoyment!

[@MrMarcKozma]

for the love of god keep steve vai alive forever 50:38

[@luiscantu4968]

Great crowd 😅

[@ZoogieBAR]

Steve Vai is such a great guy and openly shares things with his audience. My only comment is that the low end tone of his guitar is a bit fuzzy and there's some tuning issues. Other than that, he's good.

[@bf2err]

My dude. This is a live gig. Don't go full audiophile on a live open air gig.

[@rickfeith6372]

For the love of god does anyone know that last song he played???

[@KartikRao]

Is see what you did there.. ;-)

[@alanezequiel6148]

20:43 the beginning of “Candle Power”

[@MisterTee]

He should really go places if he sticks with it and stays diligent

[@mrgreenpepper1097]

they are not dead,,just trying to understand how steve playin'

[@LilSirAxolotl]

I'm working on my own custom built guitar inspired by people like Frank Zappa who introduced me to the Sustainiac and Tom Morello who introduced me to the Kill Switch If I want "tone" I'll buy some nylon strings and conjure up the ghost of Julian Bream in some abandoned British Monestary with good acoustics Simple as...

[@Blech319]

10 minutes of music, 40 minutes of sales pitch. The music industry in 2019. For the love of God...

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

I wouldn't call all the dialogue a sales pitch. My observation personally was that the interviewer just wanted to talk about gear, but Steve kept pulling it back into the ethos of the playing and the philosophy of tone. He kept talking about the philosophy of crafting tone with the relationship between the mind and the fingers. Besides that, Steve focused mostly on the history of how he developed the gear he uses, and not so much a sales pitch per say.

[@bozziovai]

actually no. sweetwater is a retail company so it's natural that they would talk about gear but i don't hear it here. god-vai has been very generous with sharing of his knowledge. and the audience ain't dead either, they're listening attentively just listen to how they laugh/cheer on 11:40.

[@stanleysdad]

This looks like a trade show rather than a concert

[@jnh73]

@@stanleysdad Because that's exactly what it is.

[@MrWhitmire]

This was shot at GearFest in the parking lot of Sweetwater Music. It’s an enormous FREE event for their customers. The artists play, but the audience is there, for the most part, for gear information.

[@shelby3822]

Can you turn off the delay? *faints*

[@yudsatriani]

👏👏👏👏👏🎸

[@svtrader]

Is that Wampler on bass?

[@lordghast1845]

1:00 drummer is rushing or dragging?

[@alexanderhelms9039]

My Guitare 7 string 27 frets

[@juan96813]

"this is the word of the Guitar Lord ".......

[@MrDavemiley]

Great overdrive tones , but wish he had a little better cleans sounds that were as fat and breathy and his lead tones.

[@alejandrocisneros7442]

It's the pickups. He always loves great lead pickups but sadly suck at rhythm or chords.

[@mokshmeditation]

20:44 the birth of Candlepower

[@rb032682]

cool

[@KeithCanisius]

Finally showing Edward some respect

[@bandit7498]

I’ve heard Steve many times give props to Eddie. He knows where it all started.

[@MehYam2112]

Finally? I’ve never heard Steve or any other player not give Eddie his respect. He was basically the Hendrix of the 80’s, except with many more imitators. And gear-wise, the Jem (and every superstrat) has EVH in its DNA.

[@bandit7498]

MehYam2112 You’re not wrong. I’m just saying Steve has always been a pretty cool dude and I remember even in the ‘80s when the competition was steep hearing Steve five Eddie his props. I’d go one further, in my humble and debatable opinion, Eddie had more of an impact on rock guitar than Hendrix. There’s not another player in the planet that people try to model their tone after more than Eddie. Superstrats exist today because of Eddie. And his use of effects is second to none. His rhythm playing far surpasses any of his shred peers imo. All I’m saying is Steve is a cool dude and I personally have never seen too much disrespect toward Eddie from Steve.

[@cesarurbani2294]

so many times he spoke about evh...you should think before writing

[@bandit7498]

Cesar Urbani Well I can sense when someone is about to be a dick. With the whole ‘think before you write’ bullshit. So I’ll politely say, if you can show me where Steve dissed Eddie I’ll gladly admit I’m wrong. I won’t say he never said he was better than Eddie. But that in itself isn’t disrespect. So yeah, show me where he bad mouthed Eddie and I’ll admit I’m wrong. I’ve personally never seen it.